Hull Design and Construction
The Cruiser 40's hull is laid up by hand in Bavaria's European production facility, with a mix of chopped-strand mat and biaxial fabric set in isophthalic polyester resin. The structure is cored with Coremat below the waterline and Airex foam above, reinforced with a top-hat style internal grid, and boats exported to North America receive an epoxy barrier coat for blister resistance. The iron ballast keel is attached through a deep, strong-looking lattice FRP sub-frame, with keel bolts passing through large backing plates — a deliberate response to attachment problems that had plagued Bavaria's earlier Match series. The deck is screwed and bonded to the hull on a generous internal flange. Above the waterline, Kevlar-reinforced bow sections add targeted impact resistance at the most vulnerable point of the bow.
The 40 sits at a noteworthy transition in the range: its larger sisters carry twin rudders to help control their beamy hulls when well heeled, while the 40 does not. With a capsize screening formula of 1.94 — just inside the broadly accepted offshore threshold of 2.0 — and a comfort ratio of 26.55 placing it at the upper end of the coastal cruiser band, the numbers describe a boat well suited to extended coastal passages and sheltered blue-water sailing.
Rig, Sail Plan, and Deck Handling
Farr's brief called for a balanced hull and rig that aims to suit cruisers and club racers alike, and the spar arrangement reflects that dual purpose. The fractional sloop carries long, swept-back spreaders with chainplates on the hull, which widen the effective shroud base and allow the jib to be sheeted to coachroof-mounted cars on inboard tracks, with the leech pulling up just short of the spreaders. Jibsheets run to winches at the forward end of the cockpit coamings.
The mainsail arrangement replaces the traditional traveler with two separate sheets set in a bridle and led forward along the boom, then back to coachroof winches on either side of the companionway, matched with a powerful mechanical vang. In-mast furling is optional, and where fitted the Elvstrom sails carry vertical battens that run nearly the full height of the sail, enabling more roach than a conventional in-mast system would normally allow. The downside — durability of the vertically battened sail may be an issue — is a long-term unknown that owners should monitor.
The 40's taller rig and greater sail height give it more upwind height and speed than its smaller sibling: 5.7 knots in 10 knots of breeze at around 40 degrees true was recorded on test, with the asymmetric spinnaker option pushing speed above 8 knots off the wind. For performance-oriented buyers, cockpit coaming pads for a Code 0 or spinnaker winch are already inbuilt, and two foredeck pads can mount a removable bowsprit for an asymmetric spinnaker.
Cockpit and Deck Ergonomics
The twin-wheel helm arrangement is central to the Cruiser 40's deck character. Unlike the smaller 32 and 36, the 40 boasts twin steering stations, and the corridor between the pedestals provides easy access to the stern — including to a large fold-down swim platform with a hydraulic hinge that increases resistance as the platform drops, preventing it from falling flat all at once. The cockpit features long bench seats, high coamings for back support, and a fixed table with folding leaves amidships.
Moving forward, the deck is easy to negotiate thanks to aggressive antiskid, with numerous and well-sized cleats. One layout oddity worth noting: the anchor rode locker at the bow may seem undersized if you want to carry a lot of chain, and physical access to it below deck may be blocked when too much chain is stacked up inside.
Under power, performance is confident. A test with the 40hp engine variant saw 6.7 knots at 2,200 rpm in flat water, rising to 7.7 knots at full throttle, with a turning radius of roughly one and a quarter boatlengths under power.
Accommodations
The three-cabin layout divides space logically across three distinct zones. Forward sits a large owner's stateroom with an ensuite head; amidships, a saloon dinette seating seven easily incorporates a settee long enough to accommodate an extra berth; aft, two staterooms — each with a double berth — sit under the cockpit with good stowage and a decent amount of vertical clearance, though the berth has a kink at the shoulder to accommodate the engine space. A two-cabin variant substitutes a large storage area for the port aft stateroom and offers a larger head with a separate shower stall.
The galley is ranged Euro-style along the port side of the saloon, with drop-in Corian panels that cover the stove tops and sinks when not in use, increasing effective bench space. Stainless steel rails serve double duty as fiddles and handholds. Behind the dinette, a dedicated nav station with a rather small desk but enough space alongside for auxiliary electronics handles navigation duties adequately if not generously. Interior aesthetic is flexible: three joinery wood options — oak, mahogany, and walnut — and a large selection of fabrics allow meaningful personalization.
Known Limitations
The single-rudder configuration introduces the most consequential handling caveat. Drawing on experience with the related Cruiser 45, the reviewer noted an expectation of more of a tendency to gripe when well heeled hard on the wind, due to the single rudder. The boat's larger sisters carry twin rudders to help control their beamy hulls when well heeled; on the 40, that control falls entirely to trim and technique. The in-mast furling mainsail, when tensioned in the traditional manner, flattened to the point where it had no upwind bite at all — the trick being to set the outhaul to preserve some camber. The anchor locker access arrangement is also a recurring irritant: physical access through the hatch behind the forward bulkhead may be blocked when there is too much chain.
Refits and the Sport Version
Bavaria offered a factory Sport variant — the Cruiser 40S — that gives a clear picture of the base boat's development headroom. The Sport tips the scales lighter, with a 300mm-deeper keel providing a better stability-to-ballast ratio, along with a tapered mast 500mm taller, a longer boom with end-boom German sheeting via a cockpit traveler, ball-bearing genoa cars with cockpit line adjustment, and composite steering wheels operating Lewmar torque tube steering. Hydraulic backstay adjustment is standard on the Sport. For owners considering refit upgrades, these factory differences illuminate the areas where the standard Cruiser 40's performance ceiling lies: backstay tension, keel depth, and headsail car adjustability.
The Verdict
The Bavaria Cruiser 40 earns its place as a reference-point production cruiser in its size class. Farr's hull delivers genuine upwind performance and enough off-wind potential to make coastal passages engaging rather than merely functional. The interior accommodates families and guests without compromise, the cockpit is one of the most livable in the segment, and the build quality — particularly the keel attachment, which Bavaria explicitly reinforced over prior generations — is solid for a mass-production yacht. The single rudder limits ultimate control in boisterous conditions upwind, and the jib-sheet layout means primary sail controls cannot be reached from the helm without rerouting the lines. These are manageable, known quantities rather than dealbreakers.
Pros
- Farr-designed hull with genuine upwind speed and broad-reaching pace
- Twin helm stations with excellent sightlines and easy stern access
- Three-cabin layout sleeps six with dedicated nav station and two heads
- Reinforced keel attachment addresses the weak point of earlier Bavaria generations
- Bowsprit and spinnaker winch pads inbuilt for performance additions
- Flexible interior joinery and fabric options for personalization
- Hydraulic fold-down swim platform engineered for ease of use
Cons
- Single rudder can cause griping when well-heeled in stronger breezes
- In-mast furling main requires careful outhaul discipline to maintain upwind shape
- Jibsheets led to coaming winches forward — helmsperson cannot trim sail without assistance
- Anchor chain locker access can be obstructed by a full chain load
- Nav station desk is functional but notably small
- Vertically battened in-mast sails carry an unresolved long-term durability question
